[jessaustin]

...services like Chariot could end up funneling away revenues that would have otherwise gone to public transportation services. At a time when only 30 percent of public transportation funding comes from passenger receipts, squeezing those funds even further could have a significant impact on those services.

That logic is backwards. If 90% of funding came from riders, then reducing ridership would be a real threat to the system. Since only 30% comes from riders, the implication is that even if ridership went to zero they could probably keep something going.